Saturday, November 24, 2018

One thing and another

We had a perfect Thanksgiving Day: The next-door grandson’s wife Heather and I shared our get-together, so it was her family and ours combined. It made for a great collection of twenty-some people and lots of delicious food. Neither of our houses has room for so many people, so as is often the case, we held the celebration in the shop. There’s an overhead heater there, so we were quite comfortable. The only thing lacking is a rest room, which Cliff and I wish we had added when it was built. So folks have to use either Arick’s bathroom or ours. Slight inconvenience for guests, but not a problem for me, at least not when it’s a gathering of people I know.

I left Gabe in his kennel while people were arriving, then let him join the fun. He loves people, and there were a lot of dog-lovers present, so he was in hog heaven. I only feed him dog food, with an occasional bite of chicken or beef we’re eating. He doesn’t beg, but I have a feeling someone fed him something they shouldn’t have, because yesterday, the day after, our living room was filled with the noxious gasses he was emitting. I put some matches next to my chair, of which many were lit during the day.

There’s something bothering me I’ve been meaning to address. I hesitate to post something directly to Facebook about it because it would likely start a war of words, so I’ll get it off my chest here: It’s the Facebook fundraisers. On my birthday, I was given the option of having a birthday fundraiser for the charity of my choosing, and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity. The response was great, so I surpassed my goal of $200. I have generous, big-hearted friends. I chose the local charity in our county that pays cancer patients for the fuel they have to use to get to their radiation treatments. This group is near and dear to my heart because they wrote Cliff a check for over $700 when he was being treated. I also donate a little to them every Christmas season. My goal is to eventually pay them back what they gave us, so others can benefit as we did.

Shortly after my fund-raiser, the naysayers came along, spreading their discontent like wildfire: They object to the Facebook fundraisers because Facebook gets 3.5 to 5% of the money collected. “I will give directly,” they say. “I’m not giving Facebook anything!”

No, you would NOT have given to my birthday cause on your own, because you never heard of it. It was my birthday, I chose the charity that helped us. Those who chose to contribute made my birthday great! Facebook processes the credit card donations, which of course costs them something. Even Catfish Charlies’, our only town restaurant, charges for their cost of processing credit cards. That doesn’t stop us from eating there when we can afford it (which isn’t often). If Facebook is making a couple of bucks on the deal, it’s great with me, because most folks haven’t heard of the Lafayette County Cancer Coalition. Here’s what upsets me: When people see your objections, they are often swayed by your opinion. I wonder how many fine charities, especially smaller local ones, suffer from this. People who gave to my fundraiser probably won’t give to another one, now that they think they are handing Facebook a pittance. Folks are so paranoid! It’s sort of the same deal with Gofundme. A local family I don’t know lost everything when their home burned, and I gladly gave. Right after that, one person started a hate campaign: “I’m not giving to Gofundme because they get part of the money; I’ll give to the people directly.”

That’s great for you, but I don’t know them personally and I won’t be giving directly. Also, I have Facebook friends who I consider real friends that I’d gladly help with a need, but I don’t even have an address for them. How would I give directly? Please stop and think of the people you are influencing with your negative words.

Whew. I feel much better getting that off my chest. Don’t be a Scrooge.

3 comments:

One of my sons did that go fund me thing for his birthday one year and we all participated...It was for the St. Jude Children's Hospital which is dear to him as he had cancer. I always donate when I can. Life is just to short to be anything but kind as far as I'm concerned. Glad you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Sounds like a great time for everyone !

I totally agree with you here! I have been overwhelmed with the number of GoFund me campaigns and definitely pick and choose which ones to support. (some are for what I consider frivolous things like a fancy honeymoon--that's a big no) I enjoy contributing to those small local charities, and as you mention, no one would know about them if not for FB. Of course they have to take a small percentage for processing the payments. Don't get me started on people who believe that by sharing an awareness post on FB that they are actually helping a cause. It takes time and money to truly make a difference, whether it's cancer or suicide prevention. Off my soapbox. Glad you had such a great Thanksgiving!